Eight Website Super Signals
That Increase Brand Trust
Getting lost down a dark alley in
a seedy, unfamiliar part of town is nobody's idea of a good time, so don't make
your customers wonder whether they've visited the wrong side of the Web when
they come to your website. That's particularly true of small
business websites.
Brand trust is critical to
converting site visitors into customers, but how is it created if your name
isn't Apple or Coca-Cola? Here's a list of eight quality signals that, when
implemented on your website,
will increase not only brand trust but also conversions, which means more
revenue for your business's bottom line.
1. Show authoritative sites
in which you've been featured
Has your site been mentioned by
authoritative brands or media outlets? When your site visitors see that you've
been mentioned by brands they know and trust, they'll be more inclined to trust
your brand by association.
Consider a "Featured
In" or "As Seen In" section to your site that lists
authoritative sites that have mentioned or featured your brand.
2. Join the Better Business
Bureau (BBB)
Signing up for the BBB and adding
its badge to your site is a great way to instill trust in your business when
visitors experience your brand for the first time. The BBB performs background
checks on businesses it accredits, so questionable, underdeveloped businesses
are typically excluded.
The BBB symbol also lets visitors
know that your brand is subject to scrutiny if it operates in a
less-than-ethical manner, which creates an added layer of trust.
A side benefit is that the BBB
site will link to your site, which may benefit your search engine optimization
efforts.
3. Include staff photographs
Nothing says trust like adding a
photo of yourself or key staff members to your site. Why? Customers know that
people engaged in questionable business activities typically don't want a mob
of angry customers to know who they are and what they look like. Your customers
may even develop a personal connection to your brand because they're able to
put a face to a name, which is both valuable and uncommon for many Web-based
businesses.
The "About Us" page on
your site or the company directory is a great place for staff biographies and
pictures. However, make sure the photos aren't amateurish, or the strategy
could backfire.
4. Add testimonials
Actions may speak louder than
words, but the words of your happy clients speak loudly nevertheless.
Testimonials are incredibly powerful in building trust in your brand,
especially for visitors experiencing your brand for the first time. Many people
search for reviews on a particular product, service, or restaurant before
making a purchase. I love Amazon and Yelp for that very reason.
Start building your brand through
the words of happy customers. Gathering testimonials from satisfied clients is
a great place to start. Also, although written testimonials are great to show
off on your website, video testimonials are invaluable, because people know
those are the hardest to fake.
5. Ensure your site is
secure
If your business sells products
online, then securing your customers' data is a must. Various products, such as
Symantec Safe Site, scan your website to make sure it's not affected by
malware; they also let visitors know that the identity of the site owner has
been verified. Other companies offer similar products, and each provides a
badge you can add to your site that tells customers you value and protect their
information—a huge factor in building brand trust.
6. Add social media icons
Although social media is a great
way to share new information or products for your online
business, it's also a great way to build brand trust. If your site
generates a fair amount of social buzz, consider adding share icons to your
site that show how many people "liked" or "shared" your
content. When people see that dozens or even hundreds of people have
"liked" your product or page, they are more likely to feel the effect
of safety in numbers and participate in your brand offering.
7. Clearly display your
phone number
One of the biggest challenges
that online businesses must overcome is convincing site visitors that an actual
business, with real people, exists behind an online storefront.
New online ventures, which may
not have adequate staffing, often subtly discourage visitors from contacting
them in labor-intensive ways, such as by phone, by not adding a company contact
number in an easy-to-find location on their website. But if your business gains
by having potential customers call in, don't hide your contact information.
Display it boldly on your site in an easy-to-find location. I like the top-right
portion of the header. Doing so is a surefire way to let customers know that if
they have a question or experience a problem with your product, real people
stand ready to help. You'll build new customers and a lot of trust in the
process.
8. Include a privacy policy
Similar to prominently displaying
your phone number on your website, consider adding a link to your privacy
policy in the footer of your site. People place considerable value on their
privacy, so displaying your company's policy on sharing customer data is good
practice. When customers see that a business cares about their information, it
goes miles in building brand trust.
If you would like to talk about how
social media and email marketing can improve your bottom line, please give me a call at 440-519-1500 or e-mail me at john@x2media.us
X2 Media can help you target your
content and get your message to the audience in a way that it is not only
seen and heard, but remembered.
Until next month….remember, “you don’t get
a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression”. Always make it
a good one! From X2Media I would like
to thank you for your time.
John E. Hornyak
X2Media, LLC
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